Alexander Calder Fetching High Prices At Auction

It looks very simple but the simple mobile by Alexander Calder shown above sold for a sky-high 2.3 million euros in Paris on May 31 at Artcurial's evening sale of contemporary art. The piece is named Pour Vilar and dates from the early 1950s. Calder made the piece for the French actor Jean Vilar, showing up at his home with the mobile wrapped in newspaper. He proceeded to set up the mobile in the actor's home. The piece was sold to a Swiss collector and had a pre-sale estimate of €500,000-€800,000. It set a record for the artist in France. Calder is a hot property lately. The Art Newspaper reports that a similar mobile Untitled (Autumn Leaves), sold earlier this May at Sotheby's New York for $3.7 million. Calder's spare style appears to resonate with younger collectors whose tastes are more minimalist.